Opening Day

Today is an unofficial Cincinnati holiday.  It is opening day, the first day of baseball season.  We are lucky and since we have lived here have always been given tickets.  This year was no exception and though I am not the world's biggest baseball fan I actually really like going to Reds games, especially opening day.  I was really excited for the game today, but my kids are sick and just not getting better, we have had a rough couple of days and are headed back to the doctor today.  Wish us luck, I think it is roseola, but we are not sure and...BLAH!  Anyhow, bummer that I missed the game, but Jared got to go and he IS the world's biggest baseball fan, so at least I will have a happy husband (even though the Reds lost).  Hopefully the A's win today!  Nana got Jacob a special baseball season shirt and hat.

Anything for Cake!

Just listen to the video, it is amazing what a little mention of a word will do to a toddler!  He ran a long way!

Easter Part 2

Ok, so this picture was taken several weeks ago, but Jared wanted me to save it to post on Easter.  I got Jacob and Claire these "hats" at Target for a dollar a piece, they really like to use hats and shoes for dress up.  Happy Easter!

On Easter Day Jacob and Claire got fun surprises from the Easter Bunny.  They got a beach chair and buckets, shovels and a sandmill for the beach this summer.  They also got capsules that turn into animal shaped sponges and sticker coloring books.  Nana and Papa gave them each new swimming suits and cute backpacks too.
Here is Jacob in his adorable Easter outfit, it was actually freezing when we went to church, but I dressed him in his new shorts anyway. (We were getting ready for church, so he is brushing his teeth in all his pictures).
Claire looked very cute in her new dress and she loved the sand toys from the Easter bunny.
We took three pictures on the bench, one with neither child looking, one with Claire looking, and one with Jacob looking, I chose this one because Claire wasn't looking at the camera in the last picture.

We had our friends Trisha and Trevor and Trisha's sister and her family over for dinner since they were here to visit for Easter.  The kids all played really well together and we had a great dinner.  It was a really fun day.

Easter Part 1

We had a weekend full of celebrating Easter.  On Saturday we had a big huge Easter dinner at our friends the Browns' house.  There were several families there and it was loud, wild, and a lot of fun!  I have to admit that Jacob was a huge contributor to the loud factor.  The food was great and the adults had their own table in a different room.  Here is the kids' table.

We all walked down the street to the Williamsons' backyard and had an egg hunt.  Jacob and Claire were both much more interested in eating the candy than looking for the eggs.
Claire was very protective of her basket and ate her candy without pausing between pieces.
Here she is when we semi-forced her to try to get more eggs in her basket, she kind of caught on and eventually it seemed to click that more eggs was more candy.
Jacob had no time for hunting because there is a slide in the Williamsons' backyard.  He really loves slides.  We snuck a few eggs from Claire's basket to Jacob's basket.

What I wake up to!

So, this is what I usually wake up to in the morning, but always just slightly different, plus I think my kids play everything down for the camera, usually it is a little more wild.  These moments are the ones that remind me that being a mom is fun.

Camie wondered what time the kids normally get up - this is normally the scene some time between 8:30 and 9:00.  Fantastic, isn't it?

St. Patty's Day and Snow

No, these things did not happen on the same day, or even the same week, but I left my camera at Jared's parents house and I am behind on blogging.  This past weekend some friends of ours had a big St. Patrick's Day party and it was SO much fun.  Jared and I really like to get into the spirit of things, so I was sure to pick up some festive wear before the occasion.  My favorite is the eyelashes (again) but these ones were 2 or 3 times as long as the Valentine's Day lashes and I kept having to tilt my head back to peak under them.  I also thought it appropriate to go as a red head!

When we first arrived they had cutouts to stand behind (our friend Nick is very artistic.)  I love that the girl is taller...perfect.  Notice Jared's hat, it is tiny and he had a huge bowtie, I loved it!
At the party there were about 6 or 7 St. Patrick's Day themed casino games and we each were given a cup of coins to start.  The goal was to be the one with the most money at the end of the night.  We also ate all kinds of Irish or green foods.  We really had a great time.
Here are the host and hostess!
A big St. Patrick's Day thank you to Nana and Papa who took Jacob and Claire for the evening, even though Jacob was a puking mess and Claire threw up all over the kitchen as soon as we got to their house.  What nice Grandparents and what nice parents, it was above and beyond the call of duty!

So, the weekend before that we had a HUGE snowstorm where we got over a foot of snow.  Our kids love snow, so we had to let them out in it, but they don't have boots or snowpants, so we couldn't let them out for long.  Claire was fearless and tromped right into the deep stuff.
Jacob was so curious about the feel of the falling snow on his face.
He was also insistent on 'helping' Daddy shovel the driveway.  He really wanted to 'help' all by himself though.
Claire loves the snow and really loves outside in general.  
I like this picture.
We also had some of our friends come over on Friday night to be snowed in with us.  I made tons of food and we spent the weekend playing games, watching movies, hanging out, and eating until the roads were plowed and they could go home late Saturday evening.  It was a fun storm and now that it has been here we can move on to Spring. (Now it just keeps raining constantly)

Little Miss and Mr. Man

I just can't believe how big my kids are getting.  (I am also a little behind on posting pictures that we have taken).  So, here are some of the pictures showing just how big Miss Claire and Mr. Jacob are getting.

Claire's hair is long enough now that I sometimes put it in a ponytail.  I took this picture in February the first time I put it in a ponytail (I know you can't see the ponytail, but it is a cute face).

In February I also decided that they were big enough to eat a little cup of ice cream by themselves in the car...they loved it!  (I also knew that there jackets needed to be washed anyway).
I just think Claire looks big in this picture, she is really in to wide open mouth smiles when she is in her highchair.  
Sometimes I spike Jacob's hair now, it is cute!  They both just look like little kids in these pictures, not babies!
This was the same day, we went out to lunch for my friend Trisha's birthday.  After I took this picture outside the restaurant I attempted to walk back to the car with the leftovers under my arm and a child holding each hand; Claire then lost a shoe and sat down in the middle of the parking lot insisting that I put it back on that very second.  That meant that I got to balance the leftovers and try to trap Jacob (an almost impossible task) with me while I tried to put her shoe back on (not to mention my happy green bag [what some may think a purse] that kept slipping off my shoulder.)  Fortunately we all made it back to the car in one piece (even the leftovers, though they were thoroughly mixed).

The Power of One

Ok, so I can't get my pictures to publish right now, so I will post some oh-so-cute pictures soon, but until then I wanted to post about my latest deep ponderings/realizations.  On Wednesday I took Claire to the Doctor (see previous post, and just fyi I am going to pick up the strong antibiotic today).  I left Jacob at Nana's house for the appointment which meant that I got to experience something that I practically never get to experience.  I got the tiniest taste of what it is like for a parent to have one child because outside of the 28 minutes that I was pushing Jacob out, I have never had this experience.  I cannot even begin to tell you all how much easier a doctor appointment with one child is (even if I have help for the other child).  Also, after the appointment I had to stop at Wal-Mart to get the supplies (also see the last post).  But I also just can't get over how easy Wal-Mart was with one child.  I have two double strollers in my car, but I didn't have to get one out, I just carried her in and quickly got the things that I needed while I carried her or she walked with me; this means that I got to skip the getting out and unfolding a stroller with a trip to both sides of the car to unstrap and restrap two kids and the weaving down the isles with quick turns to keep the little hands on both sides of the stroller from pulling things off of the shelves in each isle.  I also got to skip the screaming from two children for pretzels ("papoo") the whole way through the store (if one of them forgets then the other will remind them).  This is all not to mention the both sides of the car unstrapping and restrapping with a folding of a double stroller when I get back to the car (I think I just mentioned it).  This whole experience totaled less than 1 hour (which it never would have with 2) and it really got me thinking.  I think because I have always had 2 and will always have at least two I just moved on and never thought too much about what having one would be like.  Just to clear it up for all of you out there who think twins are just twice as hard, you are wrong...it is more than twice as much work, I can now speak from my little one hour experience.  It got me thinking about all of the other things that are more than twice as hard, I could make a list, a long one, but instead I will tell you all (actually probably some) of the reasons that two are more fun:

*My kids are best friends, as soon as one wakes from a nap (the only time they are really apart all day) they start calling for they other, they get so excited to see each other.

*I feel like we get twice the laughter, they make each other laugh so much that I think more laughing happens than would with one

*My kids still haven't learned the word "mine" I think this is because their cribs and clothes are literaly the only things that they have of their own.

*They keep each other company at night and it reduces the bedtime screaming...they may keep each other up, but I actually love their little parties.

*We ALWAYS go through the whole gallon of whole milk before it goes bad.  (usually 2 probably).

* There are always enough of us for a game of ring around the rosies ("wowee")

*I get to be a member of a club that has an ENORMOUS gently used kids stuff sale 2 times a year...it is awesome.

*I only had to be pregnant once for 2.

*My kids are socially astute...they really know how to and love to play with other kids.

*They always have an partner in crime (this is more for their own sake, but it keeps me on my toes and I actually find more humor in the crime because of it).

*I learned VERY early in motherhood how to let a child cry and not feel so bad about it, I learned this out of necessity because you  can only do some things for one child at a time.

*Coordinating outfits are really fun, and people love twins!

*I will never have to go through the experience of "Oh Wow I have to kids now, how will I do this and how will I give them both the attention they need" phenomenon because we skipped right over that.

Now, I don't think that anyone else has an easy parenting experience, but my little experience just made me think about what I never did experience.  Yeah for kids, yeah for lots of them and applause for the parents of many children.

What do these things have in common?

Antifungal cream, hydrocortizone ointment, Desitin, Hairdryer, banana???......

All of these items are now a part of a new routine that happens several times a day at our house.  Claire has developed another very stubborn UNI (Unidentified Nasty Infection...my own term) in her diaper area.  Last time this happened we had several doctors visits and tried a few things before settling on it being a staph infection and giving her a super strong antibiotic.  This time it has been almost a month and started very small and got progressively worse, I tried all of the things that we did last time before the strong antibiotics before returning to the doctor.  Because antibiotics tend to create more 'stool' we are trying something new before calling it a staph infection because if it isn't the anibiotics will make it worse.  So now every time I change her diaper I first apply the antifungal (athletes foot cream) then I apply the hydrocortizone which is followed by the Desitin... are you curious where the hairdryer comes in???  After applying the three creams/ointments I am to dry them with a hairdryer (on cool obviously).  Claire is so nice to lay there until the hairdryer time comes, for some reason she is deathly afraid of the hairdryer, so she flails around everywhere dispensing the cream on the carpet and on me before I can hold her down to try to dry everything at least a little, I have yet to get it completely dry.  (My doctor said she had one mother that took a hairdryer everywhere with her to use whenever they needed to change a diaper...No thankyou!)  The banana is just a big part of her newest diet...if you are a parent you know what it does, if you are not a parent, you probably did not make it this far in the post and thus, you really don't want to know what it does.  I feel so sorry for the poor girl, and I really hope this works fast, or it doesn't work at all so we can stop trying it and move on to the antibiotics because there is just not enough time in each day to change ONE of my children's diapers that way.  I have now gone through this routine 4 times, it is a pain...I think it might actually be working!

The bright side is, I actually have a use for my hairdryer now (those of you who really know me know that I use a hairdryer about 3 times a year).

Happy Birthday Aunt Peepee

Today is my sister's birthday.  Her name is Kaci but Jacob calls her Peepee.  She is my older and only sister and we look just alike!  We used to work at Dairy Queen together and she would tell everyone we were sisters and when they seemed confused she would tell them that I was adopted, even though they all knew my mom.  My parents adopted Kaci from Korea when she was an itty-bitty baby.  If it wasn't for height and looks you would never believe she was adopted though because she has the perfect combination of my Mom and Dad in her (she may have just a little too much of my Dad's sarcasm, but I think we all got that).  Kaci is 3' 21" (4' 9") and has enough spunk for a 6' 11" body (I love to watch her try to reach things on high shelves).  In this picture I am squatting!

Kaci is among the best at bringing out the very silliest in me!  She is mother to 4 and caregiver to many.  We all love her!  Happy Birthday Loser (it is a term of endearment with us)!

Happy Birthday Amber!

Today is Aunt Amber's (Jared's sister) Birthday.  I am sure she would like you to know that it is the only birthday in the scriptures (..and they did march forth).  Amber is an English teacher (a brilliant one...she has an Ivy League Masters) and she loves her work, she also loves to travel and has been more places than I dare to list.  She is a great Aunt and Jacob and Claire really wish they could be there to help her eat her cake.  Happy Birthday Amber.

When the Lights Go Out, the Party Starts!

Our kids have a tendency to party a little after we put them to bed, they just really have a lot a fun with each other (especially when they can't touch each other).  The sound is what you are watching on these videos because there is nothing to see but the doorknob, we just wanted to capture a little bit of the party for everyone.  The first video was taken at 8:20, about 20 minutes after bedtime; the second video was taken at 9:30, about one and a half hours after bedtime.

Try playing them at the same time - it's really funny!

Some Favorite Things

Julie tagged me...so here is how it got started:

Tanya Purcell came up with a great idea. Here is her idea:Whenever Oprah does her ‘Favorite Things’ show, I am always curious about the things she chooses and why. The best part of her ‘Favorite Things’ show is that she shares them with others! Well, the other day I thought to myself, “I don’t have to be Oprah to have ‘Favorite Things’. I started to think about the day to day things that I have or use that bring me some form of enjoyment. I thought it would be interesting to find out the ‘Favorite Things’ of my friends and family too. So here it goes…If money were not an issue and you wanted to load up a basket of your most ‘Favorite Things’ and give it to your friends, what would you choose and why? During your day to day life, are there things that you use each day that make you smile or feel good? Is there something that you look forward to everyday? It can be something simple, like the type of pen you use or something big like the type of car you drive. I will list my ‘Things’ and then I will tag a few of you to do the same thing. Here they are, in no particular order...

1- Chacos (the sandals, especially the ones that go around the big toe).  I love these sandals they are the greatest for hiking and my summer working for a wilderness therapy program really taught me how fantastic they are for hiking.  It is great not to have to wear socks when you hike in the summer and really let your feet breath.  I don't really hike (or mountain bike) in any other shoe and I don't know that I ever will again.  The great Z tan that you get on your feet is an added bonus! (If I can find and scan the picture from my Walkabout summer I will post it later)

2- Veggietales.   My kids love them and somedays that are really bad, Veggietales is the only 30-45 minute break I get.  What I really love about their videos is that they teach scripture stories but they are really creative and actually funny; their silly songs are hilarious too!  I am glad that my kids love some sort of videos that I can stand watching over and over without wanting to commit myself!  (Plus Larry the cucumber has a lisp which I really relate to!)
3-  iMac.  I recently got this computer and as I mentioned on an earlier post I LOVE IT!   It barely takes up any room on my desk and it has a big beautiful screen.  I also opted for the wireless keyboard and mouse which means the only cord is the one that plugs it in!  I love that I have iPhoto on it too because I really love the program and their templates.
4- Canon digital Elph.  I love this camera!  It was a birthday present from Jared's parents and it is awesome.  I love the size, it is barely smaller than a deck of cards and I actually take it places to take pictures because it fits in my pocket.
5- Dodge Grand Caravan SXT.  I love my van, I know that I should be embarrassed that I was driving a minivan so early in my life, but when you have kids 2 at a time it is a must!  I love the remote power side doors, they have been a lifesaver when carrying two children in or out of carseats.  I also love the stow-n-go seating, all of the back seats fold into the floor which transforms my mom-mobile into a yuppy pickup.  We have transported couches, Christmas trees, etc... and it is nice to have all the room I need for groceries when I already have 2 double strollers in the back.
6- Blistex Complete Moisture chapstick.  I love this stuff!  I have used it since High School and it is the only chapstick that I have ever finished complete tubes of.  It feels like water when you put it on and it smells like sprite, but it is amazing for chapped lips and has spf.
7- KitchenAid Mixer.  Infact I just used it to make some homemade cinnamon rolls (my house smells incredible).  I use this for so many things and I would never be without, in fact when we were looking for a house to buy one requirement was that the kitchen had enough counter space that I could keep the KithchenAid on the counter.
So there you have it!  I really do wish I could get at least one of all of these things for all of you! Now I would love to know what favorite things Sarah, Kaci, Carrie, and Amber have (I know it is not your usual blogging style Amber, but I am sure you have some great ideas).

Little Mr. Animated

Claire had her own post a week or two ago, so it is time for a Jacob post.  He is such an animated little boy, it is just so much easier to capture some of his personality on camera than it is to capture Claire's (she just ends up with bizarre looks on her face).  He really loves to play with Play-Doh and cookie cutters and always begs for me to cut out a car, a truck, or a duck.  If it is a car or truck he drives it along the tray and makes engine noises and says "beep beep"; if it is a duck he says "quack quack" then hugs it and gives it a kiss on the beak.

He is a very energetic and happy little boy, he loves to make noise and smile and really loves to have his mouth open.
You can really see how much he loves to splash (making any sort of mess seems to really make him happy).  Notice that there are no bubbles, so he is unafraid to touch the water.
Jacob is a very affectionate little boy and loves hugs and kisses, he is also very sweet with little babies and loves to watch them and is good not to touch them without permission.  He really loves to get real close to a baby and say "HI BABY" while waving.  In this picture he is attempting to hug baby leh la aka Ella, physical barriers like carseats don't seem to deter his need to give unsolicited hugs!
He knows no boundaries between girl things and boy things and he loves to dress up with his sister.  This is a new hat that I bought for a dollar at Target for Claire and they both really love it, but I just can't get over how pretty Jacob looks in it.  I love the look on his face in this picture, if you look close enough you will notice that he is holding the horse puzzle piece and he is making the horsey sound.

My New Look

I finally got up the nerve to try a new template because I am not very computer smart.  It did take me forever to try to get everything back to normal on the side, but I kind of like it.  I have a really talented friend that has been designing blog templates.  Check them out at http://www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com 

"Bubble Bubble Bubble Bubble..."

This is a huge file!  But it's worth watching!

Meeting the Namesakes (sort of)

When I was pregnant with Claire and Jacob some close family friends offered to start a college fund if we named Claire and Jacob after them.  It was all in fun, so after they were born we first sent a false birth announcement to Wayland and Gloria announcing the arrival of Gloria Nan and Wayland Kip (Jared's middle name, after their son).  Anyhow, They responded with these t-shirts and a note that read:

To Our Darling Little Wayland & Glorta (aka Jacob & Claire),

As you can see from our picture, we are elated and overjoyed that you will carry on our name and hopefully or legacy forever.  We've waited a long time for our namesakes to arrive, but you two are worth it!!!!

We don't know you yet, but we love you!  You don't know us yet, but you'll love us!  We look forward to meeting you soon.

Lovingly, 

Gloria and Wayland 

Yes, I kept that note...I kept it in a folder meant for a scrapbook that I know and knew that I will never make, but maybe someday I can just pass along the folder.
Well, Jacob and Claire finally got to meet their namesakes a couple of weeks ago and they all loved each other.
We expect that both Jacob and Claire will go to and Ivy League school, so I sure hope Wayland and Gloria are saving their pennies.

Valentines Day (In Style)

Jared and I were very excited about this Valentine's Day and we just might have to make it a tradition.  On Valentine's Day White Castle takes reservations and you have a little table with a table cloth and centerpiece and a server, it is pretty great!  For those of you who don't know what White Castle is, it is a low tier fast food chain with really cheap tiny burgers.  We decided to really get into the Valentine's Day spirit.

They printed up menus for us with little hearts and everything.  They also give the girl a flower and give you dessert when you have a reservation (pint of ice cream).  White Castle doesn't usually have dessert.
Notice the tablecloth and the floating candle in the bowl, they also gave us paper plates with hearts on them.
Jared in all of his glory!
Dani in all of her glory!
A close up.  Notice the eyelashes, they were my personal favorite extra touch!
It was a really fun and inexpensive way to spend Valentine's Day, I think the grand total for dinner was $9.50 and we had quite a bit of food, we also only had to pay a sitter for an hour.  (For those of you who know about White Castle,  my stomach seems to be holding up fine today).  I am glad that I have such a fun loving Valentine, we do a lot of laughing together.  I love you Jared!